There She Blows
by BeBraveLive4Me
Summary: Angel is brought back to Sunnydale, but nothing is the same. Buffy is dead and Willow has turned Evil. Without Giles or Dawn either, Angel must rely on his new gang and Xander... And Spike. What's a vampire with a soul to do? Takes place after Hea
1. Chapter 1

Standing outside of a doorway, Angel held a tray with a sandwich and glass of orange juice on it. He looked blankly at the door and knocked. "Hey, Fred? I brought you some food in case you're hungry." He glanced downwards at the doorknob and waited for a response. When nothing happened, Angel added, "It's okay if you don't want to come out, I don't blame you.

Angel sighed deeply and looked down the hallway. A mirror hung on the wall across the hall, but Angel saw no reflection. He expected as much, but when he looked deeper, he saw a quick flash of light. Angel brought his arm over his face, protecting his eyes. He took another glance carefully, and saw the image slightly dulled, but still bright. Squinting, Angel made out the frame of Buffy. She glowed with long, beautiful curls in her hair, and a silky white gown perfectly fit to her body. Angel swallowed hard and clenched his jaw, quickly bringing his attention back to the tray of food. "I'll just leave the food in case you want it later."

Taking another quick glance at Buffy, Angel set the tray of food down on the antique coffee table next to Fred's door. He turned towards the image of Buffy, but kept his head down to avoid looking at her. He took a few steps and suddenly heard a door slam behind him. Angel returned to Fred's door and found the food gone, but in its place, a piece of paper with the words "Thank you" written. Angel continued walking towards Buffy's image, but before he reached it, he turned to go down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs and in the hotel lobby, Cordelia and Gunn sat on the couch, obviously conversing. Wesley sat off to the side at the counter, reading a large book. The stairs creaked as Angel approached the floor, and everyone turned their attention to him. Cordelia and Gunn stopped speaking, and Wesley closed his book after marking the page.

With a nervous chuckled, Charles Gunn greeted Angel. "Hey, Big Guy. How you doing?"

Skeptically, Angel replied, "I'm okay… You?"

Gunn nodded and gave Angel a friendly smile. "I'm good."

Returning the gesture, Angel gave Gunn and faint smile and a quick nod. Still, Angel couldn't shake that uneasy feeling. Looking around, Angel saw all the faces in the room staring at him worriedly. He brought his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it lightly. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Instantly, everyone looked away. Wesley returned to his book and replied as he turned the pages, "No-- No reason."

Looking down as she filed her nails, Cordy added, "But you're doing okay, right?" Without moving her head, she moved her eyes upwards, taking a quick glance at Angel.

"You guys, I promise…" Angel started reassuringly, but was suddenly distracted. His attention flew to Buffy's glowing image again in the distance. She stood directly in the middle of the large two door entrance to the hotel. He kept his eyes on Buffy, but nowhere near any of the others. "I'm doing--"

Busting through Buffy's image and leaving her in a cloud of smoke, Lorne dramatically swung the doors of the entrance open. He whistled the soft tune of "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan as he waved a thin newspaper above his head in his left hand. "Lookie here! Now they've even got robots fighting demons," Lorne announced as he unfolded the newspaper and handed it to Wesley.

Wesley grabbed the newspaper and asked curiously, "Where did you get this?" He flipped through the newspaper and scanned through the articles. "They have newspapers on demon activity now?"

Shaking his head in disappointment, Lorne gave Wesley a look of disbelief. He quickly came to explain, "It's the Demon Daily Post!" With no reaction from Wesley or the others, Lorne explained further, "It's sold underground-- highly over priced if you ask me-- but I like to catch up with demon pop culture here and there.

With a few folders in hand, Cordelia walked past Wesley and Lorne, heading behind the counter. In the back, she pulled open and drawer and slipped fingered through the files, filing one of the folders. "Maybe we should get a robot on our side." Cordelia turned to face another filing cabinet and proceeded to put her folders away. "It could do all the filing and stuff," she added with a wink to the rest of the gang.

Wesley read over the front page, completely lost in the article. He replied in a monotone voice, "Apparently, this one actually slays." Coming out of his reading trance, Wesley quickly added, "But I think we're doing just find. No need for a robot."

Clearing his throat, Wesley slid the newspaper across the countertop towards Cordy. Cordelia stood at the counter and lifted the newspaper at an angle to read the article. She took one glance at the paper and slammed the newspaper against the counter with her folders on top. "Right!" she exclaimed. "No need."

Angel started to walk over towards the counter where Wesley, Lorne and Cordelia stood. Swiftly, Cordelia snatched the newspaper into her hands, wrinkling it slightly. Shuffling with all her papers, Cordy quickly held the paper behind her back.

"Hey!" Lorne shouted at Cordelia. "I wasn't done with that!"

With a little nudge from his elbow, Wesley commented stiffly, "You're done with it." He turned to Lorne and looked deeply into his eyes, "Trust me."

Taking the hint, Lorne flashed a bright smile and replied, "Gotcha." His smile dropped, and with a touch of disappointment, he threw in, "I'm just dandy."

Watching Angel approach them, Wesley and Cordelia stared with worry. Lorne also glanced in Angel's direction and couldn't help but feel sorry for him also. Angel doesn't notice at first, obviously with other things on his mind. When he takes his eyes off of his feet as he walks, Angel comes to see looks of concern coming from his friends. He held out his hands and shrugged his shoulders and he asked, "What?"

In unison, Cordelia, Wesley, and Lorne quickly answered, "Nothing," and continued what they were doing earlier. Cordy returned to filing, while still hiding the newspaper in her hands. Wesley turned back to his book as Lorne read over his shoulder.

At the other end of the counter, a phone began to ring. Angel being the closest, he turned to retrieve the call. "Angel Investigations…" The rest of the gang turned their attention to watch Angel as they could hear murmurs coming from the other end of the line. "Wait, what?" Angel paused with a furrowed brow and quickly agreed, "Yeah… Okay. We'll be right there." Angel hung up the phone with a loud clank.

Turning around on the couch, Gunn faced Angel. He asked, "We got a job?"

Nodding his head, Angel clenched his jaw and replied, "Let's go to work."

Everyone dropped their current projects to head for the front entrance, Angel leading the pack. Cordelia was the last to join the group as she quickly threw the last filing into the cabinet. Running to catch up, she threw the wrinkled paper onto the countertop. The newspaper had two large pictures in the middle, comparing images. Looking closely, one of the pictures was Buffy Summers in mid slay, the other, the Buffybot with split wires popping out of her head. Above the pictures, in big, bold letters read, "Slayer Slayed." 


	2. Chapter 2

Wesley, Gunn, and Angel took turns throwing weapons in the back of the van on a darkened street. Grabbing a large black duffle bag, Angel threw the bag in the trunk and stopped, turning to face Wesley and Gunn still loading the trunk. "We better load up a few of Wesley's books too. We might need them."

Also stopping after throwing in a weapon, Wesley asked, "What type of books do we need?"

Throwing in the last bag of weapons, Gunn began to close the doors of the trunk. "Yeah. What are we going up against?" Gunn asked as he prepared his fighting fists.

Angel glanced down at Gunn's tense hands and replied simply, "Magic."

Approaching the others, Lorne dragged another black duffel bag along the ground. Once with the group, he dropped the bag at his feet, causing a loud clank of metals. He rubbed his chin lightly and gave off a nervous chuckle. "Ooh. Magic means witches. I don't mesh well with witches. Maybe I could—"

Without hesitation, Angel interjected. "You can stay, Lorne. We could actually use someone to stay and watch Fred. Make sure she's safe."

Lorne nodded his head in agreement while Wesley and Gunn moved forward to get in the van. "I'll make sure she's ok," Lorne answered in an understanding voice. "Is there anything else you guys need before you hit the road?"

Walking directly between Angel and Lorne, Cordelia held a smaller black bag easily over her head. "I packed the snacks!" she announced to the men. Cordy continued forward towards the van as Angel watched her from behind.

He turned his attention back to Lorne and said with a touch of sarcasm, "I guess not."

Rolling down the window of the driver's seat, Wesley stuck his head out and looked towards the back of the van where Angel stood. "We better head out then. It'll be at least two hours before w his Sunnydale." Wesley returned to his seat and closed the window.

Lorne made his way back into the hotel as Angel gave him a wave of the hand before taking his seat in the van. He fastened his seatbelt across his lap and looked up to see Wesley watching him. "As long as we beat the sun..." Angel commented in a low voice.

Their surroundings are dark, but the land is plainly visible to Angel. The van zooms past a sign reading "Welcome to Sunnydale" and Angel sighs deeply as he stares out of the window. Wesley hears him, but only glances over his shoulder. Angel continues to stare, almost in a trance. Noticing the fenced area with shapely gray stones and various small statues, Angel realized where they were. "Wes. Stop the car."

"But we're—"

Sternly, Angel never took his eyes out of the window frame. "Just stop the car."

Pulling the car to a screeching halt, Cordelia and Gunn's bodies flew forward with the stop, waking them from their naps. Angel quickly opened his door, but took his time leaving his seat. He glanced around before he entered the gated area, figuring out which direction he wanted to wander towards. He started walking, never taking his eyes off of a certain stone until he reached it. He lowered himself to kneel at the stone on one knee. He ran his hands across the smooth, simply cut stone, reading the engravement like brail. He read in his head, "She saved the world a lot," remember the last time he saw it in near daylight.

Behind him, the flowing image of Buffy returned. Without having to turn around, Angel could sense her. He knew that her body lay underneath him, but her spirit was near him. He moved his hand upwards over the name "Buffy" and whispered softly, "…Always…"

The image of Buffy shattered, and Angel could feel it in his heart. Cordelia walked through her and stood behind Angel with her head down. She gave Buffy a moment of silence, then placed a hand on Angel's shoulder. "I know she misses you where she is—"

Angel leaned forward, brushing Cordy's hand off of him. He stood and turned around to face her as he replied, "She's in the ground." He took a few steps away from Cordelia, not able to face her and added, "That's where she is."

Angel passed Cordelia harshly, almost pushing her to the ground with his cold attitude. Without being obvious, Angel quickly wiped a single tear from his fae and made his way back to the van.

"Angel!" Cordy called after him.

He ignored her words, but she couldn't let him leave with a volcano of emotions about to erupt. She ran to catch up with him, reaching him as he reached the sidewalk the van was parked along. Cordelia grabbed his arms and turned him around. She opened her mouth to speak, but Angel beat her to it. "I'm fine, Cordelia. Just fine."

A little hurt, but understanding he didn't want to be vulnerable, Cordelia released her grip and bit her lip. "Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Angel swung the passenger door open, nearly vamped. He jumped into his seat and slammed the door shut. Cordelia jumped slightly as the door banged violently. She then made her way to the van and coolly and quietly climbed in. Gunn and Wesley only stared at the two's strange actions. Turning the ignition on, Wesley asked, "Is everything… Okay?"

Clenching his jaw hard, Angel replied angrily, "Let's just--" As he heard his tone he quickly took back his words and stopped. He sighed deeply and rubbed the developing wrinkles out of his forehead. Calmly, he continued, "Let's just go."

Wesley took his focus off of Angel and established his eyes on the road. Pulling out into the street, Wesley replied, "Very well then…"

Driving on a somewhat scenic route of Sunnydale, Wesley noticed The Magic Box, looking deserted. Further down the road, Angel saw The Bronze, and he felt a chill in his body from all of the memories. Even Cordelia sighed as they passed the landmark.

Not getting much from the surroundings, Gunn fidgeted in his seat behind Wesley. He leaned forward and whispered, "Are we almost there yet? Cause I think my bladder's about to pop."

With a slight shake of the head, Wesley answered, "You should've gone before we left the--" He suddenly stopped, realizing what he was about to say. Wesley quickly retorted, "We're almost there."

For one in an extremely long time, Angel felt his heart beat, and rapidly at that. The van pulled into the Summers' driveway, the house looking the same as before. Angel closed his eyes tightly as he opened his door with everyone else already out of the vehicle. The others retreated to the back of the car as Angel stepped closer to the house, looking around.

"Angel! Look!" Wesley exclaimed as he pointed to the front door split open with a mess in the entrance.

Racing to join the group and take a look at the chaos, Angel noticed a dim light flickering in the house's window. Cordelia and Gunn handed weapons to Wesley and Angel as they all gave each other looks of hope. With a nod of the head, Angel announced, "Let's go."

Leading the group into the house, Angel glanced around wildly. Books and papers were scattered everywhere, and some areas were laced with broken glass. From the corner of his eye, Angel noticed the light again and flashed around to look at it, but it was only a broken lamp lying on the floor. Everyone took their steps carefully, trying to not clutter the house even more so. Breaking off into different rooms of the house, Wesley headed towards the kitchen, Gunn walked into the living room, and Cordelia enters the dining room. Angel stood in the main entrance, staring blankly at the broken glass from a picture frame on the floor. The shattered pieces laid and scratched the beautiful portrait of Buffy Summers.

"Oh my God!"

In the dining room, Cordy found Xander Harris lying upon the broken dinner table. His body fit exactly to the cracks of the wood, making it obvious that Xander's fall against the table shattered it into pieces. Still, it wasn't the only harm done to him with his clothing ripped and multiple cuts all over his face and body.

Angel rushed to his side, the only one that heard Cordelia's cry. Pushing some rubble aside, Angel knelt down beside him. "Xander, can you hear me?"

With no response, Angel and Cordelia shared looks of concern between the two of them. 


	4. Chapter 4

From the other room, Angel heard Gunn shout, "Hey! I found someone!"

Angel and Cordelia stood and looked in the direction of Gunn's voice. He glanced back down towards his feet at the wounded Xander as Cordelia headed towards the next room. He grabbed her arm, stopping her, and said, "Cordy, stay with him in case he wakes up."

Clearing her throat, Cordelia nodded her head. "Okay."

Jogging, Angel made his way into the living room. He stopped at the entrance and looked around for Gunn. Waving to Angel, Gunn directed with his hands, "Over here!"

Approaching another body, Angel said softly, "Anya…"

"I don't think I should get her out," Gunn said, leaning over the body. He picked up a few pieces of paper lying on her body. She was in a pile of books and debris, her body in an knotty position. "It might just do more damage."

"She's fine." Limping, using Wesley's shoulder for support, Spike entered the room to see Angel and Gunn standing over Anya. "It's not that simple to kill a vengence demon," Spike stated as he propped himself up against the wall next to the entrance of the living room. He took out a cigarette and put in his mouth near the large cut upon his lip. He lit it and took a puff. "And she was a human just a little while ago. Talk about good timing…"

Angel turned towards him slowly. He didn't need to see him to know who was behind him. "Spike."

With a smirk on his face, Spike replied, "Angel… Let me guess." Spike took another deep puff of his cigarette. "You're here to save the day?" he continued in a bitter tone.

Obviously offended, Gunn stepped forward and answered, "We're here to help."

"Well then," Spike threw back, "help pick Anya out of the rubble!"

Wesley left Spike's side to help Gunn with Anya. They lifted different books and broken pieces of glass, wood, and paper off of her. Still, Angel never took his eyes off of Spike. "Where are the others?" Angel inquired. 

Watching them remove Anya from the mess, Spike responded, "What others? This is the gang." In one swift movement, Spike threw his cigarette out the doorway. He tightly closed his eyes and grabbed his shoulder in pain, as an iridescent shield formed across the entrance. "All that's left," he muttered. Spike steadied himself to stand without leaning against the wall. He struggled to balance on his own with an injured leg, but he did anyways.

Confused, Angel listed, "Giles, Dawn, Willow--" Unexpectedly, the image of Buffy appeared next to Spike. She watched Angel curiously as she fiddled with something in her hand, making a fist.

"Giles is being daddy to Dawn in England," Spike answered as he abruptly lost his balance. He quickly caught himself against the wall, but he tried once again to stand on his own. "Oh, and Willow's evil."

In a poof, Buffy's flowing white cloud disintegrated. In a bit of shock, Angel tried to shake out his head. "Willow's what?"

Wesley and Gunn helped Anya up, putting her arms around their shoulders. With a cough, Anya regained consciousness and threw in cynically, "Ugh. Who do you think did this?"

Leaving no time to react, Cordelia called, "Angel! He's up!"

Everyone made their way into the dining room, Angel rushing back to Xander's side. Xander's eyelids were cracked half open, showing just enough of his bloodshot eyes. Angel couldn't tell the difference in Xander's condition compared to when the first discovered him, but he still had hope. "Xander, you hear me?"

His eyes almost rolled to the back of his head. Struggling to speak, Xander answered, "Lou… Loud and clear." His eyes opened a little wider and he glanced around at all the faces in the room. "Where… Where's Willow?"

"I don't know." Angel also looked around the room. "We haven't checked the whole house yet."

Slightly propping himself up on his elbows, Xander coughed in pain. "She's probably… Gone by… Now."

Restless, Spike commented, "It's great sitting on broken glass and books and all that good stuff, but maybe we should move upstairs. There's gotta be less damage there."

With a little more ease, Xander sighed. "I really… Hate saying… This… But I agree… With Spike." 


	5. Chapter 5

In Dawn's bedroom, Xander sat upon her bed, leaning forward with his head in his hands. Cordelia and Anya also sat, leaving Gunn, Angel, Spike, and Wesley to stand. All of them glum.

"So what's the deal?" Gunn asked, not trying to sound too pushy.

Xander kept his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. He used his fingers to gently massage his temples. "Willow… She's gone crazy with her magic. She's floating around, sucking the life out of things…"

Over at the window, Wesley stared at the environment. No one walked the streets except for shady characters, almost promising to be evil. He closed the curtains and turned to face the rest of the group. "She must wear down soon, she's not powerful enough."

Anya sat up straight and raised her hand. Wesley looked at her confused, but then gave her a nod of approval to speak. Anya stood politely and stated, "She's one powerful Wicca. And-and when Xander said she's sucking the life out of things, he meants literally." Anya took her seat with a smile on her face, proud for knowing the answer.

Touching his lip, Spike winced in pain. He looked down at his fingers to see blood, but simply rubbed them together to rid of it. "Not to mention she's dragging her lover's body with her to drain her powers." Spike touched his lip again, but stood tall and tolerated the pain. "That's what I call Wicca love…"

Everyone glared at Spike with a touch of disgust. He gave them the same stare back, knowing he was telling the truth. They all agreed, but it only made Xander angrier. 

He looked up, giving everyone the eye, tired of all the talking. "It doesn't matter! Okay? We just need to help Willow."

"What's driving her to do this? What does she want?" Angel asked with a touch of confusion. The flowing image of Buffy appeared again in Dawn's vanity's mirror. Angel got lost in her beauty, and Buffy returned the stare with a gentle smile. 

Xander looked at Angel as he sees his distraction. Xander cleared his throat and muttered, "Buffy."

Shocked, Angel directed his attention towards Xander. He flashed glances between Xander and Buffy, hoping that he might have seen her too. He took another quick glance at the mirror, but Buffy was gone. He continued staring into the mirror, wishing she could come back, but terrified that she would follow his wish.

"No reflection," Spike whispered to Angel, referring to the mirror. "Still not used to seeing your beautiful face, huh?"

Loud crashes came from Dawn's closet. Pushing her way through all the bits and pieces in the closet, the Buffybot slid the closet door open and asked, "Did you call for me, Xander?" Frayed wires popped out of her head, sparking every now and then. Her stomach was slashed open, revealing her circuits. 

Spike shook his head with little ease, looking downwards. "No. The real Buffy…" He brought himself to look up at her, "Not you."

The Buffybot smiled, her facial expressions never changing a bit. "But I am real. You're so silly, Spike." She took a minor break as her wires sparked like crazy. "And you look really good naked."

Swallowing hard, Angel asked angrily, "What the hell is that?"

Raising her arm again, Anya waited patiently in her seat. Angel stared at her blankly, which she took as a sign of authorization. Anya stood and answered, "It's the Buffybot. We used is to slay, so the demons wouldn't know that she's…" A little choked up, Anya's perky attitude went away. She couldn't help but feel a little less than usual, remember why exactly they needed the Buffybot.

"So this Wicca wants to kill the Buffybot?" Gunn quickly asked, not understanding everything.

Feeling responsible for Angel's sudden hit of sadness, Anya replied, "No. She--"

Once again, Xander broke out, tired of listening to everyone's mindless chitchat. He rubbed his neck with his right hand harshly. "She wants to bring Buffy back from the dead."

Wesley stepped away from the window, closer to the rest of the group. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with the bottom of his shirt. He unexpectedly felt like a Watcher again, picking up some of Giles' mannerisms in Sunnydale. "That-that's a very dangerous procedure."

Xander looked over in Wesley's direction and replied, "Hence the, 'We Need To Save Willow' campaign."

"Wait… I still don't understand." Angel stated.

Counting on her fingers, Anya sat up and said, "Willow… Wicca… Evil… Wants Buffy--"

"I get that," Angel interrupted. "I just don't understand why she called me."

Xander looked up at Angel, forgetting about his pain. As did Spike, he quickly whipped his head around to look at Angel curiously. Anya now slouched, not knowing the answers.

Wide eyes, Xander commented, "I thought you came on your own. Will called you?"

Hesitantly, Angel answered, "Yeah. She sounded weird, and I could hear screaming in the background. She said she needed my help."

Cordelia stood now, pacing from one end of the bed to the other, between Xander and Wesley. She paced back and forth three times before she came to a shocking conclusion. "This can't be good. Willow might be evil, but she's smart. She must have some kind of plan."

"And whoever said Cordelia Chase isn't smart?" Xander joked.

Making her way back down to Xander, she stopped. "Hey!" Cordy quickly backhanded Xander slightly in the stomach as she plopped herself down to sit next to him. She placed her worried head into her hands.

First chuckling, his banter with Cordelia brought him back to the old days in Sunnydale. Until a minute later, when pain swam over him. "Ah… Chya-- Injured!"

Taking her hands off of her head, Cordelia turned around to face Xander. "Oh… Yeah… Sorry?"

Holding his stomach, Xander breathed hard. "As pathetic as that was… I'll take it!" Xander gave Cordelia a grin, glad to see her again.

With a slight roll of the eyes, Wesley cleared his throat. "back to the problem at hand. Do you guys have any idea why Willow might need Angel?"

"No," Xander replied with a serious face.

Angel watched Xander, trying to think of all the possibilities. Without delay, he got distracted as Buffy's image appeared behind Xander.

Wesley watched the floor, thinking hard. He then murmured, "Maybe I can find something in resurrection spells."

Anya raised her hand again, this time not so happily. "I'll help you. There should be some books in Willow's room." She stood as she left the room with Wesley.

"So how long has this been going on?" Gunn questioned, trying to get some clues.

Xander closed his eyes tightly, trying to deliberate the right answer. "Everything's been… Different… Since Buffy…" Looking up, Xander saw Angel staring at him pained.

Still, Angel was only staring at the image of Buffy. As Xander returned his hand to the back of his neck, he swatted Buffy's image away, and brought Angel back into the conversation. "So, Willow's been like this for almost a month?"

Doubtful to continue, Xander sighed deeply. "She's been acting strange. Avoiding us, spending a lot of time in her room. The real bad started about four days ago."

Spike moved towards the window, and peeked out of the curtains. "Got all dark and veiny."

"What if it happens?" Cordelia blurted out. I'm not trying to start anything, but why is it so bad if Buffy comes back?"

Xander sighed. He calmly replied, "Other than maybe hurting Willow, I'm not sure."

Spike flashed around, closing the curtains behind him. "You know damn well what could happen. You just don't want to admit it."

Tired of listening, Xander cried, "Spike--"

"All you want is your precious Buffy back, even if it's not right," Spike stated. He then whispered, "Even if she's not right."

Waving her arms to get everyone's attention, Cordelia questioned, "What are you guys talking about?"

Staring Xander down, Spike cleared his throat. "Resurrection spells are tricky. In this process, there is chance she could come back different. Wrong."

"But having Buffy back--" Xander fought back.

Angrily, Spike yelled back, "It doesn't matter!"

Buffy's image suddenly reappeared. She stood across from Xander, between Angel standing at the doorway, and Spike standing at the window. Her expression was less than happy as she looked at the entire room. Tears filled her eyes as she looked directly at Angel. He stood tall and added, "It does. You said she could come back wrong. Could. That doesn't meant she will." 


	6. Chapter 6

Cordelia gave Angel a sympathetic look, her heart melting along with his pain. "Angel… I know it's hard…"

Bitterly, Angel's eyes made his way over to Cordelia. His voice raspy, he asked, "You know? How do you know?" His eyes left hers, not able to look at Cordy anymore. He ran his hands through his hair roughly and continued, "It hurts so bad I'm numb inside. I'm nothing…" Angel felt his body go weak as he glanced back at Cordy. "I'm nothing without her. If-if Willow can pull this off… If there's a chance of Buffy coming back-- And coming back right-- I think we should take it."

Xander nodded his head lightly in agreement, but it was hardly noticed compared to Spike nasty glare towards Angel. Completely disgusted, he tilted his head at an angle, make sure he was seeing and hearing things right. Calmly, Spike stated, "You have no right to come here and tell us what to do."

With a deep sigh, Xander started, "Spike shut--"

"We're not going to risk it and that's that!" Spike blew up. "If she came back wrong and she couldn't--" His hands formed into tense fists as he tried to calm himself. "We'd have to kill… I don't want to remember her by what messed up thing she comes back as. And I sure as hell don't want to watch her die again." Rubbing the pain away from his forehead, Spike whispered, "You guys aren't the only ones that miss her."

The room went silent, everyone looking downwards at their feet to avoid eye contact. But Xander lifted his head and glanced back and forth between Angel and Spike. "You guys aren't the only ones that loved her," he added in a soft voice.

Angel and Spike returned looks to Xander, understanding all of them felt pain. Immediately turning his attention to where Buffy once stood, Angel only saw a puff of smoke fade.

Ending the silence, Wesley walked into the room and announced, "I think we found it."

"What is it?" Angel asked, still a little shaken by the recent topic of conversation.

Anya followed Wesley in, carrying a small book in her hands. Reading off the page, she replied in a monotone voice, "It's called the Iunctus Animus Resurrection."

Looking around at the confused faces, Wesley threw in, "Roughly, Iunctus Animus is Latin for 'joined souls'. At this point, Willow is draining all of the life out of other living objects to then give to Buffy."

"But what does she want with Angel?" Gunn asked, trying to figure out the situation.

"She wants Buffy…" Wesley said with certainty. He signaled for the book, Anya gladly handing it over. He quickly added, reading a passage, " 'A lover's soul is not alone, for it holds the ones closest and dearest.'"

Cordelia asked, "But why Angel? There's Spike, Xander, and that other guy…"

Giving each other looks, Angel, Spike and Xander made a disgusted face when the subject of Riley came up. None of them were exactly fans of him, especially when he really was just "that other guy". 

Breaking the silence and the looks, Wesley answered, "It's not just their love for her. It's who Buffy chooses to stay with. Who holds her purest moment of love… Of bliss."

"That still doesn't explain how Willow knew it's Angel," Gunn commented skeptically.

Looking downwards at his feet, Angel sighed. Under her breath, he muttered, "…Always."

Being the closest to Angel, Wesley heard his comment. Trying to break his depression, or maybe even give him hope, Wesley inched closer to Angel. Speaking directly to him, but loud enough for the rest to hear, Wesley stated, "Angel, I'm not exactly sure what her plans for you will be, but we must--"

"Oh, crap!" Cordelia squealed, distracting the rest of the gang. 


	7. Chapter 7

As Cordelia fell to the floor, Angel rushed to her side. "Cordy!"

Everyone crowded around her, worried. He kneeled to her side, and with Angel's help, Cordelia sat up. Everyone watched her intently, trying to see if she'd be alright. Wesley crouched down to her other side, and put a hand on her back for support. "Are you okay?"

Rubbing her head in pain, Cordy replied bitterly, "Surging pain through my head in the form of a vision. I'm just fine."

"What did you see?" Angel asked a little too eagerly as he helped Cordelia to sit on the bed.

"It…" Cordelia struggled as Angel and Wesley placed her on the bed. She rubbed the back of her neck to release some of the tension. "It was Willow. She-she was in pain. She was crying." Cordy looked up to the rest of the group, seeing if her vision made any sense.

Xander quickly reacted to her words and blurted, "We have to find her."

Angel nodded his head in agreement, but something on the floor caught his attention. He stopped to stare at a sunspot on the carpet. He glanced back up at Xander and stated, "There's nothing much I can do now." 

Noting the sun's appearance in the window, Spike added, "Guess I'm out too."

"No need," Wesley commented. "I know where she'll be tonight."

Giving Wesley a curious look, Xander asked, "How do you know?"

Wesley picked up the book in which he brought into the room earlier. He held it up, showing that's where he got his information from. "She need a full moon to resurrect Buffy, and that's tonight. She'll be at Buffy's grave."

"Why don't we just end this now?" Gunn asked with an anxious tone.

"If she is how Xander has described her," Wesley began, "there's nothing we can do."

Leaning forward as she spoke, Anya stated, "There has to be something." She looked around at the room full of blank faces. She knew there had to be something more than sitting around and waiting. "Maybe I can curse her or something." They all gave her a strange look, but she continued with ease, "I'm a vengeance demon."

"We know, Anya," Xander butted in with a glum tone. "I don't think cursing people would help."

Taking Xander's comment poorly, Anya muttered under her breath, "It might not help, but it'd be fun…"

Gunn heard her, but ignored it. He looked around and questioned, "So what's the plan?"

Angel cleared his throat and announced, "We head out at sunset. Wesley?" he called out. He waited for Wesley to make his way into Angel's line of sight and continued, "Find out how to stop her. Cordelia, Anya, help Wesley." As they formed their group in the corner of the room, closest to the door, Angel called out again. "Xander, Spike--"

"Hold on a bloody second," Spike interjected. "How did the ponce get to be in charge?"

Xander raised his hand to him. "Cook it, Spike. I don't see you with a plan."

"He doesn't have a plan either!" Spike bit back. "He's just telling people what to do!"

"Listen, Spike," Angel started with a stern tone. "If you have any better ideas, be my guest. But until then, we're gonna get things done my way."

Spike clenched his jaw, nodded towards Angel in a bold manner. He couldn't stand Angel to begin with, and taking commands was not making it any better. "Hey, I got an idea for you: Count me out, because I'm not following the orders of a wanker like you," he stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

With a shallow sigh, Xander muttered, "And why do we let him stay here?"

"He's nice to look at with his shirt off," Anya answered, a little too openly.

A sickened look on his face, Xander scoffed. "Hello?"

Anya gave Xander a dirty glare to his noises. She could care less what he thought of her, especially after shutting her up so many times already. "It's not like we're together anymore!"

"You know what?" Xander started with anger, "You--"

Clearing her throat, Cordelia stopped Xander from going any further. She then stated simply, "I'm thinking… Back to the plan."

"Oh, yes," Anya commented with a sense of understanding. "You probably know what I'm talking about since you and Xander…" Anya made a suggestive face.

Shocked, Cordelia asked, "Me and Xander what?" It took her a minute, but Cordelia realized what Anya was implying and blurted out, "Eww! I mean, come on! No offense."

Letting it roll off his back, Xander stated, "None take-- Hey!" Xander understood what both of them were talking about and felt he needed to stand up for himself. "I broke up with both of you!"

Before things got too intense, as Angel could tell was going to happen by the looks on everyone's faces, he interrupted. "Let's just figure out how to help Willow!"

Still bitter, Anya threw in one more bit. "Indian tribe never gave me syphilis."

After enjoying the spectacle, Spike smiled and commented, "I'm out of here."

"Spike!" Angel called after him. He turned towards the door to look him in the eye, but spotted Buffy before him. She stood directly between the two, but it only looked like Angel was speaking to Spike. He calmly, and slightly distractedly continued, "We could really sure your help."

"Well, in that case…" Spike let his guard down. He spoke softly, letting Angel's calm voice and sincerity get the best of him. Until he turned around and yelled back to the group, "Sod off!"

Angel followed Spike as he left the room. "You know what?" He marched through Buffy's image, destroying her. "That's fine!" he yelled after Spike. He stomped back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Trying to ignore the tension in the room, Wesley gathered some books off the shelves and asked, "Anya, Cordelia, would you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Cordelia answered as he took one of his books.

Anya took one of his other books and replied, slightly disappointed, "It no one's taking their shirt off…" She then took a seat next to Cordelia on the bed, and flipped through the pages.

Gunn stood with his hands in his pockets. "What's the plan for the rest of us?"

"We clean," Angel announced. The blank stares of the others made Angel continue. "Maybe Willow left us some clues."

Standing, Xander commented, "That sounds like tons of fun, but maybe I should help with the research."

Angel turned to leave the room, and stated to Xander who stood behind him, "I'm sure Wes won't mind some extra help." Turning the doorknob, Angel stopped and added, "You can sit between Anya and Cordelia," and made his way out into the hallway.

Following him out, Xander took a glance back into the room. He saw Anya reading intently, and Cordelia with a bored look on his face. He turned to the direction Angel was leaving in and called out, "Cleaning it is!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Gunn, Xander, and Angel were spread out in the living room. The shuffled through numerous papers, trying to read them for information and clean at the same time. Everyone was so flustered by the mess that it was hard to get through to any real information.

Picking up a large, map-like, piece of paper, Gunn felt resistance. Once he was finally able to pry it off the floor, he noticed a sticky, green residue. "Oh…" He lifted it to his face, trying to see what it is, and got a good smell of the residue. "Oh!" he yelled louder in disgust. "That's foul!"

Angel glanced over to Gunn, seeing what he held. He didn't know exactly what it was, so he stated, "Bring it up to Wes. Maybe he can make something of it."

"Ach… There's more…" Xander spoke as he picked up a few more papers across the room. It was spread into a large puddle across the floor, near the stairs. "I say we trade this house for another." When he saw Angel's only reaction was an expression of sadness, he quickly corrected, "I'll get a mop." Taking a few steps to a closet underneath the stairs, Xander reached for a mop as Spike walked behind him. 

"I found this in the kitchen," Spike announced with a bowl in his hand. The bowl held a mix of crushed herbs and powder with purple swirls. 

Grabbing the bowl from his hand, Xander eagerly proclaimed, "I'll take it up to Wesley." As started to go up the stairs, but realized he still had the mop in hand. He leaned over the stairs and dropped the mop downwards to Spike. "You'll need this."

Taking a few steps forward, Spike caught the mop. He glanced at the object in his hands, wondering what he could possibly need it for. Looking down a little further, he noticed the green mess below him. "Bloody hell," he muttered as he took a step backwards and shook his shoes free from the residue.

Cracking a smile, Angel watched Spike trying to clean his shoes. He cleared his throat and picked up the broken pieces of the coffee table. "I thought you left."

"No," Spike said, taking a break from wiping off his shoes. "I left the group. I'm not one for the 'Yay! Let's go team!" he exclaimed in a fake, perky voice.

Angel took a few steps closer to Spike and handed him a few random papers to wipe his shoes with. "You never were."

"What's the supposed to mean?" Spike asked, slightly offended. He ignored the papers Angel offered and continued, "You think I didn't want to help?"

With a confused look, Angel started, "Spike--"

"I tried to save her!" Spike interjected. "I did!" he exclaimed as his head sunk. He couldn't stand to look at Angel, knowing what he must've thought of him. "If I could've been faster or stronger… Every night, I think about that--how I could've changed the way it ended. I wanted to save Buffy…" He raised his head, and saw a curious Angel. "But what do you know? You weren't even there."

Angel stared into his eyes, pained. Spike hit him hard with his words. "And it kills me." He glanced over Spike's shoulder to see Buffy floating with a confused look on her face. "What if I never left Sunnydale? What if I never came to Sunnydale in the first place? Would Buffy still be alive? I wonder, everyday, if Buffy's life would've been better without me." Her expression stayed the same, and he couldn't stand to look into her eyes anymore. He glanced back at Spike as she faded into the background. He continued, "Spike, at least you got the chance to be her hero. I couldn't protect her, or save her. But you tried."

Spike took in the words, feeling a little better. "Even so, we all know you were the last person she saw…"

"I'm making a trip to the Magic Box," Xander interrupted as he skipped down the stairs. One he reached the bottom, he added, "Wesley needs some stuff to analyze the goop."

Taking a few more steps forward, Xander walked out the front door. After walking onto the porch, Xander readied himself to go down the steps as he was zapped backwards and into the house. His back slid against the hardwood floor until his head hit the bottom of the stairs. All he saw on his trip down was a iridescent, purple wall form at the end of the porch. 


	9. Chapter 9

"Xander!" he called out. Rushing to his side, Angel kneeled down next to him.

Coughing a little, Xander propped himself up on his elbows. "I'm fine, but…" he answered as Angel held a hand out to help him up. Xander took his hand and sat up, then stood. He continued, "What the hell was that?"

A dark and veiny Willow glided past the door in midair. She stopped in the middle of the doorframe and let her feet touch the ground, also setting the pale and shriveled, helpless body of Tara on the porch. She smirked as she looked into the house of confused faces. "You didn't think I was just gonna let any of you leave, did you?"

Never taking their eyes off of her, Angel took a step closer to Willow with his hand out. "Willow, you can't do this…"

"And why not?" Willow tilted her head, smirking. She didn't care what anyone had to say, Tara moaning in pain on the floor. "I can do this!" Willow lifted her hand and zapped Angel, sending him straight back and slamming him against the stairs. She chuckled, admiring her powers.

Xander glanced over his shoulder at Angel. When he saw Angel start to stand on his own, he turned his attention back to Willow. He cried out, "Willow! You have to stop!"

Shaking her head, Willow stated simply, "No." She threw her hand up again, sending a surge of energy to Xander and rattling his body. "I won't stop until Buffy's--"

"Buffy's what?" Spike questioned as he stepped towards the door without fear. "She's back as a monster?"

Willow flips her wrist, but her purple haze fizzes. Nothing came out, but a feeling of sadness over her. She had no more power to hurt Spike the way his words pained her. Even worse, she had nothing to defend herself against Angel or Xander.

Angel inched closer to her and muttered, "You can't let this happen to her."

Tears started forming in Willow's eyes. "She's supposed to be here." At that moment, her control over Xander's body weakened even more. He was able to fight the shakes Willow sent through his body. When she realized her loss of control, she tried taking over him again, but failed.

"Come on, Willow," Xander stated, trying to resist her powers. "You can't do this. You have to stop…"

"No!" she yelled as she used the last of her strength to zap Tara. The sparks between the two grew, Tara gasping for air, and Willow exhaling pink smoke. Willow floated about the ground again as she hissed out, "Give up!" She smiled and her eyes glowed as they were focused on Angel. "I'll be seeing you later, Angel."

Spike flinched as the door slammed hard, nearly shaking the entire house. "This can't be any good," he commented.

Angel clenched his hands into fists. He knew that Spike was right, and they were in for some trouble. "Spike, go tell Wesley that we're trapped."

Shaking out the last of Willow's magic, Xander took a few steps closer to Angel. He sniffled back the tears he formed from seeing Willow in that state. He spoke softly, "What are we going to do now?"

Staring out of the broken glass window of the front door, Angel replied in a calm voice, "Wait till sunset." He started towards the living room, avoiding the sunspot the door's damage left. "She has to let us out then." 


	10. Chapter 10

Wesley paced the floor in front of the men. It seemed as though he was speaking to himself, but he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Without a full analysis, I can't be sure of what this stuff is…" He held a small amount of the collected goop on his pinky in front of his face. He brought it closer to himself and smelled it, but quickly pulled away. "But I have a pretty good idea. I'd have an even better idea if I could get to my books—"

Shaking his head, Gunn grew impatient. "But what can you tell us?" he inquired.

Clearing his throat, Wesley stopped his pacing on the skirts of the group circle and faced them. "It's a simple theory." He rubbed his fingers together, disposing of the goop. "The Watcher's Council, they cast a rather large spell to leave traces when dark magic is used."

Angel raised his head and glanced over to Wesley. "And this is a trace?"

"As far as I know," Wesley replied.

From his seated position, Xander looked at everyone with exhaustion. He hated that he had to bring up the worst case scenarios. He asked, "Is Willow in danger?"

Wesley brought his attention to Xander with a look of regret on his face. He breathed deeply before answering, "If so, yes. Danger might be in store for the rest of us, and Sunnydale… Maybe even the world."

His eyes grew wide, and then his head fell into his hands. The guys also looked less than pleased. They were put in devastating situations time and time again, but they never seemed to get any easier. It was especially hard to get past when a loved one was on the line. 

Once again, Gunn grew tired of their talking. He was angry with all that saddened faces of his friends. He wouldn't just sit there and take it. "Wes, why don't you just get us out of this bubble, and we go and stop her. Fight magic with magic," Gunn stated with ease.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Wesley muttered. He sighed as he continued, "Willow has tapped into very dark magic. It comes from a dark place that can only be stirred by pure human emotion. It is very powerful and nothing any of us can do can stop that."

Separated once again, Cordelia sat in front of all the books they could find, frustrated. She flipped the pages, skimming them for any information they could find useful as Anya did the same across the room. Cordelia sighed and commented, "These books are getting us nowhere."

Without taking her eyes off of the page, Anya coldly questioned, "Sunnydale books not good enough for the LA girl?"

Shocked, Cordelia squealed, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing." Anya closed the book and made her way over to the next one. She opened the book and started reading again. She quietly added, "You're the one too good for the rest of us."

The words hit Cordy and she was even more confused. She sat up straight and replied, "Ok—What is your deal?"

"My deal…" Anya bit back bitterly. She took her eyes off of the words scrolled across the paper and up to Cordelia. She gave her a dirty glare before blurting out, "I know you came back here for Xander!"

"Xander!" Cordelia called out with a slightly offended tone. She put her hand on her chest and started, "I'd never—"

Anya shook her head. "What? Xander isn't good enough for you?" Trying to calm herself down, Anya crossed her arms over the book in front of her and held her chin upwards. "Or are you just after Buffy's man?"

Cordelia returned her angry glare from earlier and exhaled loudly. "First of all, you're crazy. Second, Xander and I are completely through. And third, third…" Cordelia gazed down at her hand where she was keeping track of her list.

Anya simply stated, "Angel."

Looking up at Anya with a look of disgust, Cordelia shook her head. "Angel and I are just friends. Not to mention, he can't really be 'Buffy's man' since she's gone. And—"

"I meant, 'Hey Angel-standing-right-behind-Coredlia!" Anya interrupted.

Quickly, Cordelia turned her body in her seat and faced Angel who looked less than happy. He looked even more brooding than usual. She felt horrible as she remarked, "Angel, I'm so s—"

"We've got trouble," Angel started to stop Cordelia from giving him yet another apology. "We're stuck in here until sunset. Willow doesn't want anyone loose before she does her spell."

Cordelia pressed her lips together after Angel cut her off. "So once we can leave, what are we gonna do?" she timidly asked.

Without any hesitation, Angel spoke with ease. "We'll meet Willow at Buffy's grave."

Anya shook her head in disagreement with Angel. After getting his attention, she looked him dead in the eye and asked, "So we're going to walk straight into the hands of the crazy Wicca trap?"

"There's nothing else we can do," Angel replied with certainty. He clenched his jaw, thinking about the moment he'd be face to face with Willow, fighting for Buffy's life.

Leaping out of her seat to face Angel, Cordelia squeal, "Yeah there is!" She approached Angel with worry in her eyes. "We can get out of here so she can't get Buffy from you or whatever. It'll ruin her plan if you're not here."

Angel shook his head and tried his hardest to avoid Cordy's eyes. He rubbed his forehead, trying to manage his thoughts. "She'll find a way." Angel put his arms down to his side and regained his composure. "Willow's a determined girl…"

"…And veiny…" Anya added under her breath.

"She'll stop at nothing," Angel continued without any recognition to Anya's comment. "We can't run away."

Anya looked up at Angel without any sarcasm or second-guessing. She kept herself calm, just wanting to know some answers. "So what are we gonna do?"

"Find another way." Looking down at Cordelia, Angel knew she was right. Both of them were right and they couldn't give into Willow. "Keep up the research." 


	11. Chapter 11

Down in the unruly kitchen, a frantic Wesley stood with the phone pressed up to his ear. "You may be of assistance to our situation," he spoke sternly. He waited for a response and then sighed. "I don't want to alarm you, but we are in Sunnydale and--" A worried murmur came from the other end of the line. Wesley tried to stay calm in his own voice as he replied, "It-it's Willow…"

Silence chilled both ends of the phone call. "Are you still there?" Wesley brought his hand up to his forehead and rubbed it with frustration as he received a reply. He hated having to be the bringer of bad news. "She-she's planning to resurrect Buffy… Yes, Giles. I'm well aware she must be stopped. That's where you come in." Wesley glanced around at the destroyed room that surrounded him, embracing the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Most of our resources have been cut off with the barrier Willow has put on the house. We only have a few books and--" Wesley sighed with relief as he her Giles' kind words. "Yes, it would e great if you could do some research… Yes. Then stay in touch."

Wesley took a few steps and stumbled out of the kitchen. He tried to watch his steps a little more carefully as he made his way back upstairs. He walked past the research room and saw Cordelia and Anya still hard at work, with the occasional dirty glare towards each other. He walked a little further and turned into the room with the others making a game plan.

"So, what's the verdict?" Gunn asked immediately.

Scratching his temple slightly with his finger, Wesley glanced at all the worried faces. "Giles doesn't know much about the certain resurrection, but he'll do some research."

Xander nodded and clasped his hands together. "G-Man and his research… Glad he hasn't changed much," he stated, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Taking a deep breath, Wesley could tell that Xander's effort hadn't helped much. Everyone was on edge and there wasn't really anything they could do. "We should probably do the same until a solution is found," he offered. Wesley was just trying to find some way to get everyone's minds in the right focus.

"Aye-aye!" Xander replied, still trying his best. He stood quickly and looked at the long faces that weren't so anxious.

Gunn stood as well, but with a little uneasiness. He didn't know where to even start, since there resources were so limited to begin with. "Uh, you guys got a computer in this place?"

Xander nodded and replied, "Yeah." He waved his arm at Gunn, over in the direction of the door. "Come on, it's in Willow's room."

Looking Angel dead in the eye, Wesley reassured, "We'll find something."

As he started to nod, Angel saw the beauty of Buffy glisten in the mirror behind Wesley. For a moment, he was completely lost in her beauty, but he couldn't let himself give in to her. He needed to be stronger than that and fiercely looked back into Wesley's eyes. "Please do," Angel stated coolly. 

Wesley nodded, unaware of the reasoning for Angel's response. He understood all of them were anxious to find a solution and end this dilemma as soon as possible, but Angel had never seemed so sure and calm at the same time. Gunn and Wesley followed Xander out of the room and down the hall.

Spike turned his attention to Angel with a raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat and commented, "I thought you wanted her back."

"I thought I did too. I just…" Angel crossed his arms over his chest and tried his hardest to avoid Buffy and his own urges. He tilted his head down and concentrated on the way his arms folded over each other. "I don't think I could let her go again."

Squinting at Angel, Spike was in a full state of shock. "So let me get this straight," he started. "You're saying that I'm right; that she'd come back wrong… Angel wrong, Spike right."

Angel looked up and turned his attention to Spike. "Sorry," he apologized. He could see Spike was a little too happy in this situation. "That wasn't exactly what I meant."

Swiftly, Spike stood up in a fit of outrage. "You're just trying to take my glory away!"

"No, I mean…"

"Oh!" Spike exclaimed like an idea had struck him like lightening. "You're going to skip town again! Leave Buffy high and dry." Shaking his head in disapproval, Spike scoffed at the thought. "I don't get you, man! You say you love the girl and then you leave her. It's fine by me so I can have my change, but--"

"You were closer to being right the first time," Angel cut Spike off. "It's…" He hesitated, but finished with, "difficult. I do love her, but--" As he turned away from Spike and back to Buffy's image, she was gone. He could never have her when he wanted her. "It never works out… We're… We're better when we're not together."

Spike huffed again and threw his head back. He was so tired of the tortured romance of Buffy and Angel. All he knew was that it's overrated and not his favorite bedtime story. "And you think that's loving her?" Spike made his way over to Angel and got in his face. "Make it work. Fight together and then die together instead of being a sad puppy because you weren't there for her. The two of you letting yourselves be happy wouldn't be the end of the bloody world."

Angel's hands stiffly became fists. He looked down at his clenched hands, trying to break his stare from Spike. "Yes it would," he replied coldly. "I'm just the only one that knows."

Following his eyes, Spike also saw the tension in Angel's body surfacing through his hands. "What are you talking about? Another stupid prophecy?" Spike mocked.

"No." He hesitated to speak the truth, knowing that it wasn't necessary for the whole world to know. And at the same time, there was almost a comfort in letting the secret escape. It would especially help when no matter how awkward it would be, Angel knew that Spike would understand better than anyone else could because he could relate. 

"Uh… Awhile back, Buffy came to visit and-and… I was human again." Angel's eyes met Spike's again. Both of them just seemed to be too filled with emotion to actually show a reaction at this point. Both of them just wanted to finish the story. He tried looking away again to preserve himself. "I couldn't fight and Buffy was going to die alone. I-I couldn't let that happen, so I asked the Oracles to take the day back… I'm the only one that remembers."

Tilting his head, Spike tried to understand Angel's point of view. "There's just one thing wrong with that, Champ." But as usual, Spike just couldn't agree with Angel's ways. "She did die alone."

Angel looked up to see Spike staring deeply into him. Both shocked and pained, Angel huffed loudly. He took one quick step after another, preparing himself to charge at Spike. Spike backed away, but Angel gained speed. Angel swung his arm at Spike, but missed as he ducked. Angel kept moving forwards with his arm in motion and took a clean shot at the mirror where Buffy once reflected. The mirror shattered into pieces and hit the floor with a loud clutter.

Spike found himself leaning against the bed, trying to regain himself from the punch dodging. Puzzled, he stared at Angel who was now losing himself. Angel could hardly stand as blood drizzled down his arm and into the shards of glass. Spike could see that the hit wasn't for him, but he still couldn't understand what had made Angel do it.

A moment later, Cordelia came running into the room. She flashed glances between the two, trying to figure out what had taken place. "What happened in here? Are you guys ok?" she asked worriedly.

Closing his eyes tight, Angel wouldn't let his ready tears fall. He placed his hand on the wall for support as he leaned forward. "Everything's fine, Cordelia." His emotions suddenly turned into frustration as he turned around to face the two of them. "We're just dandy! Spike and I are both in love with the same corpse, but in ten minutes when you ask how we're doing, I'm still gonna be fine!" He took a step towards her, but kept his fingertips tracing the wall as he inched closer. "So don't waste your energy checking on me and find a Goddamn way to stop this ressurection."

Cordelia took small steps, backing away from Angel. She was expressionless as she took her last backwards step into the wall. Feeling the cold wallpaper against her skin, she closed her eyes. When she opened them back up, she still saw a frustrated Angel and she couldn't take it anymore. Cordelia turned sharply and made her way out of the room. 


End file.
